replica

noun rep·li·ca \ ˈre-pli-kə \

Updated on: 24 Apr 2018

Definition of replica

1 : an exact reproduction (as of a painting) executed by the original artist

a replica of this was painted … this year
—Constance Strachey

2 : a copy exact in all details

DNA makes a replica of itself

sailed a replica of the Viking ship

; broadly : copy

this faithful, pathetic replica of a Midwestern suburb
—G. F. Kennan

See replica defined for English-language learners

See replica defined for kids

Examples of replica in a Sentence

We toured a replica of the ship.
It's an authentic replica of an ancient Greek urn.

Recent Examples of replica from the Web

The statue will be unveiled on Saturday, but Preston and Andrew Ashcraft’s mother, Deborah Pfingston, saw a fiberglass replica on Jan. 30, part of a surprise arranged by TV host Mike Rowe.

— karina bland, azcentral, "New statue to honor Granite Mountain Hotshots 5 years after Yarnell Hill Fire," 20 Apr. 2018
Other Finca highlights include pictures of his reading chair, the kitchen area, the dining room, where a replica of Miro’s The Farm hangs, and the bedroom.

— wayne catan, idahostatesman, "Author chronicles Hemingway’s time in Cuba | Idaho Statesman," 20 Apr. 2018
This week, the company unveiled a replica of Eero Saarinen’s Tulip Chair made almost entirely from Ekoa.

— liz stinson, Curbed, "Eero Saarinen Tulip chair replica shows potential of sustainable ‘wood-like’ material," 19 Apr. 2018
The pace car will go in the IMS museum after the race, and the winner of the Indianapolis 500 will get a replica of the car.

— zach horrall, zhorrell@gannett.com, Indianapolis Star, "2018 Indianapolis 500 pace car revealed," 19 Apr. 2018
Navarro accused the previous administration for enabling other nations to develop replicas of US drones and there is evidence that shows these systems have already been deployed to regions like the Middle East.

— zachary cohen and laura koran, CNN, "How Trump plans to arm the world with US weapons," 19 Apr. 2018
The kids also liked watching artisans blowing glass in the glass house, a nearby replica of the 1608 building aimed to diversify the new colony's economy.

— laura johnston, cleveland.com, "Archaeology is changing history at Jamestown, first permanent English settlement in North America," 18 Apr. 2018
Earlier this week, the world’s largest Lego replica of the Titanic made its American debut at the Titanic Museum Attraction in Pigeon Forge.

— meghan overdeep, Southern Living, "World’s Largest Lego Titanic Replica, Built by Young Autistic Boy, On Display in Tennessee," 18 Apr. 2018
Scientists working on new ways to battle the erosion that threatens Louisiana's coastline have a dramatic new tool: a massive replica of the lower Mississippi River.

— rebecca santana, The Christian Science Monitor, "Engineers reconstruct the Mighty Mississippi to predict effects of erosion," 17 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'replica.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of replica

Italian, repetition, from replicare to repeat, from Late Latin, from Latin, to fold back — more at reply

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1824

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

replica Synonyms

Synonyms

carbon, carbon copy, clone, copy, dummy, dupe, duplicate, duplication, facsimile, imitation, mock, reduplication, replication, reproduction;

Antonyms

archetype, original, prototype;

miniature, mock-up, simulation;

reconstruction, re-creation;

image, likeness, semblance, shadow;

impression, imprint, print;

approximation, reincarnation, version;

extra, reserve, spare;

Synonym Discussion of replica

reproduction, duplicate, copy, facsimile, replica mean a thing made to closely resemble another. reproduction implies an exact or close imitation of an existing thing.